


Unbreak my heart

by ShyLady



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Cooking, Healthy Relationships, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Pets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23058607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyLady/pseuds/ShyLady
Summary: The first day of the week brought bad luck. Sometimes Stark's laboratory caught fire. Sometimes Jane Foster opened interdimensional portals in the bathroom, sometimes Darcy’s heels broke, or the zipper of her pants didn’t work. Or she missed Ian so much. Mondays. She hated Mondays.
Relationships: Ian Boothby/Darcy Lewis, James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster & Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster/Thor, Shuri/Idie Okonkwo, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson
Comments: 40
Kudos: 91





	1. Weird and sweet

**Author's Note:**

> My first language is spanish, sorry for the mistakes.

**I**

“Janey…Janey… I know…I know…”, Darcy sighed, squeezing the cell phone in her hand.

Monday. She hated Mondays.

She was late that morning, like always. She lived in Stark Tower and worked there too, but she never managed to be on time to her office. Darcy’s assistant greeted her with a bunch of files and an espresso. The gods knew she needed that.

The first day of the week brought bad luck. Sometimes Stark's laboratory caught fire. Sometimes Jane Foster opened interdimensional portals in the bathroom, sometimes Darcy’s heels broke, or the zipper of her pants didn’t work. Or she missed Ian so much. Mondays. She hated Mondays.

First thing in the morning, she talked to Jane, always. Topics varied between Thor, the election, their mothers, good food, and SCIENCE! She loved Jane, but sometimes, living on the same building and working with her was a fucking roller coaster.

_ "Your cat has been terrorizing the lab," _ Jane said through the phone. 

Darcy stopped short. "Hey, don't touch my cat. Mew-Mew is lovely." She sipped her coffee and opened the window on the twentieth floor. The sun rose in all glory over Manhattan. What a lovely morning. But it was Monday and she knew something weird would happen.

“Who moved next to your laboratory?” Darcy asked. She put the phone on speaker and sat down on her desk. “Banner? Oh, I heard he is a good man…”

_ A very good green man sometimes _ , Darcy thought. Then Jane Foster proceeded to talk about her experiments and how she needed the equipment and the possibility of Darcy forgetting it.

“How dare you, I remember that… I know you want the antimatter processor for Friday.”

_ “Thursday,” _ said Jane, with the hysterical meow of the cat in the background.

_ Oh fuck.  _ Darcy leaned her forehead against the desk with a soft plop. “Yes,Thursday. It will be, I promise. Bye.”

Darcy totally forgot about the antimatter processor. She sipped her coffee again and called the distributor before Jane found out she was right and tried to kill Darcy.

The day passed very smoothly for a Monday. Her distributor said he would have the processor in twenty-four hours, her mother called with good news about the family, and all the nerds on the science floor were happy with the stuff she gave them. 

Not fire. Not bad zippers. She didn't even think about Ian.

And then, in the afternoon, something out of the routine happened.

Darcy was tipping in her computer when someone knocked on the door. 

“Lucy?” She asked over the intercom. Her assistant was not there. Lucy was efficient but sometimes she disappeared without warning.

“Enter.” Darcy said curiously.

A man came in. He was in commando gear, dirty and hair wet with sweat. He was handsome, with big puppy eyes, the color of blue-green sea. He was an agent, a very tall agent, with broad shoulders that could compete with those of Captain America.

“Hello ma’am,” he said.

“Hello stranger. What do you want?”

“I’m Barnes.”

Darcy pushed up her glasses to see him better. Yes, he was definitely very handsome, and pretty sexy in that sloppy messy state. 

Agents always reported to Maria Hill, not her. Darcy had little to do with the new SHIELD or the Avengers. Pepper Potts had hired Darcy and she only knew Thor. She had seen Wanda in the corridors and had talked with Sam a couple of times in the dining room, but nothing more.

“Barnes…Barnes… Oh.” She remembered the history lessons plus all the media coverage after the incident in Lagos years ago. James Buchanan Barnes looked different; he no longer had the long hair and the thick beard. Now he wore a buzz haircut and incipient stubble. He was still a soldier after all.

“Can I sit down? I have a very long flight and I’m tired ma’am.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Barnes sat in front of her desk.

“Well, Sergeant, what do you need?”

“Mmmmm, I heard that you are the boss here.”

“I’m in charge of the logistics department. It’s not a fancy position but I like it for now.”

“You provide things to the scientists, things difficult to locate or find.”

“They send me a list of spectrometers and telescopes and I do what I can”.

“I'm not a scientist.”

“No.”

What could a super soldier need? Something to get drunk with, maybe. Not porn, she hoped.

“I know how to hack a security system in a computer but I don’t know how to buy a fork on Ebay,” said Barnes, finally.

“You want me to buy a fork for you?”

“I… was living with Sam and Steve. But now I have my own place and…It’s stupid but I don’t know how to fill the space. Stark said he can hire some designer to do it. I don’t want a stranger in my home. It’s complicated.”

“Of course… Maybe you can write a list of things you want and I’ll see how to find them?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Thanks,” Bucky smiled slightly, almost shyly.

“You are welcome,” Darcy said smiling too.

This was not weird but sweet, definitely an improvement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 11/07/20


	2. Chocolate cake

Darcy went to the dining room on the twelfth floor, at midnight. That part of the tower was only for people with high security level, like the Avengers or their families. There was a kitchen too, and plenty of ingredients to cook whatever someone wanted.

And in that moment Darcy desperately need a chocolate cake. She broke up with Ian six months ago. And she remembered him. Why? She didn’t know. Ian was clever, gentle and funny. She was not a romantic. Darcy always seemed herself like a pragmatic girl, free spirited of course, but with her feet well planted on the ground. She usually accepted when her relationships didn’t work. A broken heart hurt as hell but that’s better than a toxic liaison. But with Ian was different or she believed it. They got along very well, they liked the same things, wanted the same things in life, the sex was good and Ian liked to cook as much as she did. Darcy believed that this time she found the one.

Then she chose the work with Stark and Ian was accepted for a scholarship in Wakanda. Both of them thought the relationship would work like that. But distance, time and circumstances did not help. She said she loved him. He didn’t say it back, never. She hoped anyway.

One day he called and said that he needed time. He didn’t want to hurt Darcy, but he met someone. That was the end.

She cried, cursed and drank to the point of fainting. Jane was worried and was the one who took care of her. Sweet Janey. When everything was said and done, Darcy thought she would get over it quickly. Six months and the ache didn’t fade so easy.

“I’m damned if I don’t forget Ian Boothby.”

She sought the ingredients she needed. Everything was there, flour, butter, eggs, baking powder, milk and chocolate. She took the eggs and broke them, separated the yolks and began to beat the egg whites.

“Rough night?” Sam Wilson asked entering the kitchen.

“Hi, Wilson. I want a homemade chocolate cake. Do you dare to try a slice?”

“I’m your man, girl.”

Darcy smiled. Sam was very handsome. _These super heroes seemed to be raised on the same farm, tall, pretty and full of trouble_ , Darcy though.

“Steve is very upset because Bucky didn't ask us for help with his list.” He sat in front of the counter.

“Oh. Barnes told you?”

“No. Jane Foster told Thor and Thor told Steve and Steve told me.”

“Heavens. Jane and Thor are gossips.”

“In this tower you cannot keep secrets.”

“I see.” Darcy added the butter.

“We never talked about Bucky.”

“No”, said Darcy slowly. “But I guess we are going to talk about him right now.”

“Although his time in Wakanda was very therapeutic, he is now going through a new period of accommodation.”

“Aha.” Darcy searched for the sugar.

“I don’t like the guy very much but Steve adores him and I can live with that.”

“Well, I don’t know Barnes, he asked for my help and I will do whatever I can. What is the worst thing he can ask me? A time machine?”

“Do not give ideas to him.”

“Fine.”

“He was deprogrammed by Shuri. Bucky remembers everything until he fell off the train, but he doesn't remember all his missions as the Winter Soldier yet. Shuri warned us that it would take a while.”

"Is he dangerous or not?"

“It depends. Are you dangerous?”

Darcy shrugged and they both laughed.

“Captain America sent you here to check me out? I'm not going to steal his best friend, you know.”

“Actually, THAT is what I expect. I'm glad Bucky has dared to meet someone else in the tower.”

“That’s me, Darcy Lewis, magnet of heroes.”

“He has only talked to me and Steve here, as friends, you know. With others it is just work, you know, training, missions, nothing more ... personal. Sometimes he communicates with Shuri or T'Challa, nothing special. So I hope that if it’s not too much trouble, in addition to helping him buy things, you will also help him ... see the modern world.”

"Do you want me to be his babysitter?"

“I want you to be his friend.”

Darcy added vanilla and chocolate to the mixture. Fantastic, she could already bake the cake.

“I promise you nothing, dude, but I’ll try. What is the worst that can happen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, what is the worst????


	3. Harry

Thursday. The antimatter processor never came.

Jane was going to kill Darcy. She was walking nervously in her office trying to contact the provider. Almost a year without an incident and now he failed her.

She checked the time on the wall clock. Her mother had given it to her, inherited from one of her great-grandmothers. It was red and round and had a nice vintage touch so Darcy had brought it to decorate the office. She didn't really pay much attention to it, having the cellphone, but in these circumstances she had checked the hour half a dozen times.

It was thirty minutes to eleven. The good thing was that Jane had not called (yet) to find out about her precious equipment. The trouble was that the provider did not answer the phone. And she lost her glasses. And her cat Mew-mew was missed.

“Hey FRIDAY, you haven't found my pet yet?”

The A.I. replied from a place of time and space unknown to mortals.

“No, Miss Lewis. Your cat is a very interesting feline. It escapes my radars.

“She's a queen.”

“If you said so.”

Darcy call again in her cellphone to the provider but nobody answered. Discouraged she left the device on the desk.

“What happen to you, Harry? I hope not a heart attack. I need you.” She muttered to herself.

Lucy opened the door, entering only half of her body to speak to Darcy. Her pretty blond curls glowed like an aura around her face.

"No luck yet?"

"Nothing."

"Do you want me to contact the next distributor on the list?"

"Yes, although only Harry has the equipment that Jane likes. And she is very specific with the requirements."

“I’ll do my best. By the way, you have an appointment with the CEO of Meade and Celestron at lunch, to talk about the technical specifications of the design you sent them.”

“The CEO? What the hell. I thought it was with one of the engineers or something similar. Erik and this princess Shuri are going to get me in trouble. What else?”

“The HPLC system that Dr. Simmons asked for has just arrived. And Mr. Stark called to greet you.”

She had never talked to Tony Stark. He had never appeared in that part of the tower and had not asked for anything for his experiments.

“To greet me?”

“He asks you to be in his office tomorrow first thing too. He says it’s important.”

“Is Stark even attending his office? I thought Pepper did everything and he stayed in his cave to create crazy stuff.”

“Finally, you have Dr. Banner on the corporate phone.”

“Few,” Darcy blew the strand of hair that fell on her forehead. “Today I am a lucky girl.”

Lucy left, closing the door and Darcy answered the call.

“Hi Dr. Banner. How can I help you?”

A kind male voice spoke to her.

“It’s about the spectrophotometer. I need a bigger one.”

“How big?”

“The biggest that exists in the world today.”

“Ok, if you send me the specifications again I will try to…”

In that moment her phone rang. Toni Braxton singing _“I heart you”_ distracted her.

“Besides,” Banner continued talking, “there is a cat in my laboratory.”

“Mew-mew! Thanks for finding her.”

“First of all, I don't know where it came from.”

The cell phone rang again and Darcy took it.

“Dr. Banner, I need to leave you now. You can give the cat to my friend, Dr. Jane Foster. She is the genius next door. Thank you very much.”

“Okay, I’ll…”

Darcy hung up before the man could say goodbye and answered her own cellphone.

“Hi, Harry? Oh, Jane. Sorry, I thought you were another person. Yes, I know I had to read your name on the screen like normal people, but I don't know where I put my glasses.”

Lucy came again.

“Sergeant Barnes wants to see you.”

Darcy rolled her eyes exasperated.

“Now? No to you Janey.”

“I tell him to come later?”

“Let him. Hey Janey, I promise your processor will be here in the afternoon. See you soon.” Liar.Liar. Darcy hung up again without allowing her interlocutor to say goodbye.

Barnes entered, apparently, just out of the shower. She could smell his cologne. He was freshly shaved and his hair was combed, still wet.

“Hello.”

“I have a very busy morning, man.”

“I have another list.” He handed her a piece of paper. Apparently Barnes wouldn't send emails or text messages. “It’s messy. I wanted to sort it by categories, but I write down what I remember in the order in which they come to me. I think it's better that way.”

“Don’t worry Sargent.” Darcy pinched her nose, feeling an imminent headache.

“You okay?” Barnes asked.

“Yes. Not really. I know this dude, Harry, and he is very good in his job. He promised me an antimatter processor yesterday, but he doesn't answer the phone.”

“Oh. Why don't you go find him at work or at home?”

“That is a very good idea.”

Barnes shrugged.

“FRIDAY make sure Jane doesn't lose my cat again. The sergeant and I will go for a walk.”

“Me?”

“Of course. I will not go unprotected to a place full of things that can explode or that can be used in a villain's plan.”

And that's how Darcy Lewis ventured to New York with the Winter Soldier.


	4. Rebecca

That was not how Bucky planned to spend the day. Hell, it wasn't even how he planned to talk to Miss Lewis again.

Technically it was his day off. Bucky didn't have much to do but train, as always. So he went to the gym. Luckily, the place was almost empty and if it weren't for Scott Lang's presence, he would have said that the morning was pleasant. Some people didn't know how to shut up. Scott was one of those.

He went to the locker room and found an envelope stuck by the door of his locker. He checked the content with caution. Inside were a note and a photograph.

The note said:

_'I didn't know where to send your first request, so I asked FRIDAY for help. I'm not a stalker, I swear. Next week I will have the rest._

_Greetings._

_Darcy. '_

The pic was of a teenager, a blue-eyed girl smiling at the invisible photographer. Her straight brown hair reached her shoulders.

"Rebecca."

His sister. He had asked Darcy three things, three impossible things to find about his past. And she had hardly taken two days to give him the first item.

Bucky bathed quickly, put on a T-shirt and jeans and went to look for Darcy Lewis. Along the way he made his second list.

The first time he saw Darcy, he thought she was too young. Maybe Bucky was too old. The world in the twenty-first century was very different from the one he knew in the middle of the last century. And this girl knew more about it than he did.

She was pretty. Not a knockout. When he went to her office that first time, he realized that maybe it was a mistake. The girl was sitting, talking on the phone. Long brown hair fell over her shirt, which had the design of a cute cartoon of Black Panther. Her glasses had slipped on the tip of her nose. Under the desk he could see that she was wearing torn pants and cowboy boots. The kid was definitely very young and with a strange sense of fashion. Although, he had dressed in typical Wakanda clothes. It could be worse.

But when he spoke to her, her huge blue eyes had received him gently. It had been a long time since anyone other than Steve looked at him that way.

Instead, that day, with his sister's photo in hand, he thought he might have underestimated Miss Lewis. And so it was that she convinced him to go find her friend.

“I drive.” Said Bucky.

“What? Are you afraid of a woman behind the wheel?”

“No. I need to be in control of something in this decision, so let's go in my truck.”

“Okay Sarge.”

Both went to one of several underground parking lots. There Bucky unlocked his truck.

“What is that shit?” Miss Lewis asked.

“That ' _shit_ ' is a Rezvani Tank.”

“We'll go to Brooklyn on that?”

“Brooklyn?”

“Any problem?”

“No.”

 _The last time I was at Brooklyn was a long ago,_ Bucky thought.

They both got into the truck. Miss Lewis looked inside curiously.

“Wow, this shit is amazing. Was it Stark's idea?”

“More or less.”

“Did he give it to you or did you steal it?”

Bucky shrugged.

“Duuuuude, you are a serious case.”

“Give me the exact location. I'm going to look it up on the GPS.” He pressed a few buttons on the panel to his right.

“Okay, we'll go near Columbus Park.”

“Put on your belt.”

“If you drive this thing carelessly, I'm going to kill you.”

She was a savage. Bucky smiled.

“Yes, ma'am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Kat Dennings is beautiful but I chose to portray Darcy like an ordinary girl, more conventional. I hope you like it.  
> Please, leave a comment! I need some feedback to know how to improve my English :)


	5. Brooklyn

So this was Brooklyn today. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t his old home anymore.

There was no longer the hot dog stand that he always went to on Bowling Street. Nor was her mother's favorite bakery on Mulberry. Nor the candy store where his sister and her friends used to buy. Maybe he wouldn't even find the place in Battery Park where he and Steve spent evenings.

Bucky always thought that not remembering was a terrible curse. Now he **_knew_** that remembering was even more painful.

For Darcy Lewis nothing had changed. She was guiding him through the streets without using the GPS, her bouncy curls falling over her breasts in a chestnut-colored waterfall, and her fingers adorned with red nail polish, gesturing as she spoke.

"Here."

They turned a corner and came to a street filled with what looked like warehouses. The walls were painted with graffiti and no one was seen walking around the place.

“Tony Stark buys in thrift stores?” Bucky asked suspiciously.

“Mmmm nope. But I do.” Darcy unbuckled her belt.

“What kind of sophisticated equipment do you find here?”

“It's not my fault. My nerds are the ones who ask for strange things. They want modified equipment, or models from previous years, or old stuff that they will modify themselves. Jane Foster, my best friend, is one of the latter. A new generation of artifacts is of no use to them. I know if Stark finds out, he'll have a heart attack.”

“And this guy… is he reliable?”

She looked at him with her honest blue eyes. Miss Lewis seemed tired.

“In a year he has never cheated me. Don't worry, I asked FRIDAY to investigate him.”

“And Stark doesn't suspect a thing?”

“No.”

“How it's that FRIDAY can't open the door for me in certain parts of the tower and you got her to keep your secrets?”

“Because I’m amazing.” She smiled.

“If you say so.”

He wondered how trustworthy a guy working in this kind of place could really be.

“Hey, stop here.”

Bucky parked the vehicle in front of one of the warehouses. They both got out and Darcy headed for the big metal door.

Bucky approached and checked the lock.

“It is broken”, he said.

Darcy entered without thinking about the possible danger.Bucky instead felt the lack of a weapon.

“Helloooo”, she said.

Nobody answered.

The girl walked to the center of the huge room and he followed her. The place was full of parts and equipment. Boxes were plentiful on the high metal shelves. Light bulbs and cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The smell was strange. It was similar to humidity and something chemical.

A wheelchair was half hidden behind a gray metal table.

“Oh, no”, she muttered.

There was blood on the floor.

Bucky heard a noise behind him and turned. A boy ran away.

"Stay here!" Bucky told her and went after the intruder.

Something was very wrong with Miss Lewis's friend and Bucky hoped this boy had some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback!


	6. The Boy

Darcy checked the wheelchair. Harry had been using it since he was a child, as he had told her months ago. If there was blood on the floor, it was probably his. Harry was in trouble. What a mess.

Darcy saw that there were broken vials next to the red stain on the floor. She took one of them. A phosphorescent green liquid was visible in the bottom. She was pretty sure that **_chemicals_** were not Harry’s field of expertise.

“Fuck,” she mumbled to herself. How ludicrous the situation was. Darcy Lewis, with a master's degree in Political Science, was in a stinking warehouse, trying to fix a problem that didn't really belong to her.

_This happens to you for wanting to play in the major leagues. Not that you could take a position at a quiet university, helping stupid students to appreciate their education._

But she was responsible for her nerds and in a way, she was responsible for Harry. And Harry was a friend after all. She was loyal to him.

When things didn't work out with Ian, she was sad. It was very hard, more than she wanted to admit. Some things had changed for her. She thought differently, felt differently, and needed to talk to someone and Janey ...Some things she didn’t want to tell her, she couldn't. Jane was so happy and focused on her relationship with Thor, that she would not understand that Darcy no longer believed in love or happily ever after. Of course, she knew that she would meet someone again, that she would fall in love again, but she also knew that sooner or later that would end. Nothing was forever, not for Darcy Lewis.

She could say those things to Harry. He was married, but he understood very well what it was to lose hope and be alone.

Darcy looked around. There were boxes full of gadgets and tools on the floor. A laptop with a broken screen was on a chair. If someone was hiding out there, they could attack Darcy without problems, she had no training and even if she did, she doubted she could stand up to them and survive. Still, Darcy should join the self-defense classes that Maria Hill was organizing for the women in the tower. Just in case, for the next time, she and a brainwashed former assassin head out to New York.

Not that she wanted to go out with Barnes anywhere again. Not that he was unpleasant or that he had surpassed acceptable levels of asshole-ry. In fact he had surprised her with all that formality. She had heard that Captain Rogers was an example of chivalry. But she didn't expect his dark and handsome friend to have that kind of behavior too. She didn't really know what she was expecting when she met Sergeant Barnes.

But when she saw the list of things he wanted…Well, she had been touched. The microprocessors and gravitational lens routine could be very cold for a girl. This task had given her a little contact with the humanity of her work.

_It's just a favor Darcy, don't be obsessed. Focus._

On the table was a portrait of Harry’s wife, parts of electronic equipment, nuts, screwdrivers, and a plastic bag. Darcy carefully took the vials and put them inside the bag. With a roll of electrical tape she sealed it. This would never be part of a CSI show, but let it not be said that she didn’t try.

Barnes appeared after a while bringing the boy who ran. He was a teenager and was obviously no match for the Winter Soldier. From his looks, he was probably a thief, not a professional assassin or supervillain. Although, that shit didn’t appear on the identification card.

Barnes was holding the boy's arm behind his back.

“I'm telling you, man. I don’t know what happen here and I don’t give a fuck.”

_Nice mouth._

“Miss Lewis, you okay?” Barnes asked her.

She had a big headache from missing her glasses and from the tension. But still she tried to answer in a light tone.

“Yes, I found something, maybe it’s useful. What about him?”

“He’s quite a pip.”

“The door was open. I thought I would find something to sell later,” said the boy. “That hurts man, you’ll break my arm.”

“Do you saw something or someone here?” Darcy asked.

The boy looked at her strangely. He seemed to be afraid. Still he refused to cooperate. This would be a very long afternoon.

“I want a lawyer.”

_You and I will have Stark on our asses. I don't think a lawyer is going to saves us. Plus, Jane Foster will give me an emotional beating._

“Careful, kid. Do you like your fingers?” Barnes voice was low, barely a soft suggestion.

“I didn't see anything. You arrived and I hid myself.”

That in part could be true.

“This site has cameras?” Barnes looked up.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Darcy answered. To be honest with herself, the girl did not want to watch the video tapes. She couldn't bear the concept of Harry hurt in any fashion.

“You see that steel bar, Miss Lewis?”

The bar was on the floor. Darcy took it and passed it to the man. He carefully folded it around the boy's wrists, as if it were made of modeling clay.

“What now?” She asked.

“Call the police.”


	7. Stark

Midnight. Darcy could not sleep. In six or seven hours she would have to prepare to see Tony Stark. And after this afternoon, he would probably fire her.

"I'm so screwed."

She was in the only place that gave her tranquility, the common kitchen. Everything needed was on the marble counter. She had searched for every ingredient and utensil with methodical precision.

Darcy took the flour and placed it in the bowl. She added salt, sugar and a little warm water and mixed it.

"How bad was it?" Sam stood at the door, dressed in commando gear.

"Didn't Barnes tell you?"

"No," the man approached and sat down at the counter.

"Don't look at me like that cowboy, it wasn't good. For a moment I thought I make a mistake and it was actually MONDAY."

He smiled like a Cheshire cat.

“Bread?”

“Yeah,” Darcy added the diluted yeast with the remaining warm water, one whole egg, and two tablespoons of oil. "Why are you dressed like that? Isn't it too late or too early?"

“I have a mission in two hours. I'll go with Steve, so Mr. Grumpy will be at ease for a week, maybe longer.”

The girl laughed. "You two don't get along, huh. You get jealous or what, cowboy."

"I'm not jealous. Maybe he is. I don't know. If the grandpa talked a little more, we might know."

"Maybe you should give him space."

"Are you an expert at Barnes now?"

She slowly added half a cup of warm milk and began to knead.

"No. I just think he looks like a decent man. And you're a therapist, Sam, can't you be more understanding?"

"I am very understanding, believe me."

"Let's stop talking about the sergeant. How are you and Steve? You made him the dessert I showed you."

"We are fine. He loved the dessert, but he doesn't know that you showed it to me, so keep the secret."

"Don't cheat on the food, buddy. If you break Cap's heart, I will make you pay." She continued to knead the bread dough.

"When we return from the mission, I am going to propose.”

Darcy stopped. She looked at him in surprise and with her arms raised gave a little cry of happiness.

“Man, man, congratulations!”

“He still didn't say yes.”

The girl walked around the counter and hugged Sam.

“I’m so happy for you, darling.”

“Life is good for me, so I'm going to reserve the bride's bouquet for you,” he joked.

I don't want the bouquet, I want to be the bridesmaid,” Darcy replied.

* * *

Darcy slept like three hours. And she came to the date with Stark at 8 in the morning. It was 10 o'clock and he still didn't show up. Her secretary told her that she would notify her as soon as he arrived.

Darcy sat on the sofa, in the hall, waiting for her boss or future former boss.

“FRIDAY you told me first thing in the morning.”

The AI answered from its invisible celestial dome.

“First thing in the morning for Mr. Stark.”

“I want to speak to Pepper.”

“Miss Potts is not in the tower at the moment.”

“How convenient.”

At least the day had started well, with the news from Sam. And the meat-filled bread had been delicious.

She was still worried about Harry, but the police had assured her that they would do everything possible to find him. The little thief was arrested and taken to testify. After that, Barnes brought her back to the tower. He spoke very little on the return trip but looked more relaxed. It was obvious that he was made for these things, unlike Darcy who only wanted to take a hot shower, eat chocolate and cry in a fetal position.

“My sensors indicate that Mr. Star is here.” FRIDAY said suddenly.

"Where? He shouldn't have gone through that hallway to get to this hall before entering his office?"

"Sure enough," the secretary spoke. "Mister Stark has arrived and is waiting for you, Miss Lewis."

Darcy walked into the office of his boss. Or ex-boss, depending on the situation. The man stood with his back to her, looking at the city through the large window.

“Good morning, sir.”

Stark turned to her. He didn't greet her; he just looked at her, from head to toe.

“Darcy Lewis, I presume.”

“Yes, sir.”

He took a holographic file in the air and opened it.

“Former assistant of Jane Foster. Blah blah blah. Interesting resume.”

“I… I’m working for Stark Enterprises since a year more or less.”

“One year, ten days and eight hours.”

 _Such a jerk_ , Darcy though.

“Just to clarify, how did you get in here? There is a secret door or you made it through the window?”

Great, she was nervous. When that happened she was always all bravado and poor life choices.

Stark almost smiled, and that was not comfort for Darcy.

“You are a master in Political Science, with dubious knowledge in physics. Why are you here?”

The girl stood on tiptoe and held her hands behind her.

“I think I impressed Pepper Potts, I am friends with a future Nobel laureate and the contract said that you would pay my student loans.”

Stark squinted at her. With a careless gesture he scratched his perfectly trimmed beard.

“FRIDAY accessed classified files at your request.”

That surprised Darcy. “When?”

“When you solicited a digital and then a physical copy, of a photograph of Rebecca Barnes.”

“That was a favor I did for the sergeant. I didn't know it was classified. That is not supposed to be a protocol for FRIDAY? Not that it's her fault.”

“It's funny, because she has strict protocols and you shouldn't have access to this type of files.”

“How dangerous is the pic of a teenager. And I think her brother has a right to have it.”

“Did you hack FRIDAY to get it?”

“No.”

“So it's almost impossible for you to have permission to access classified files then.”

“Well, I don't know, dude, something happened. I'm sorry, I mean Sir.”

“I'm going to restrict your access to **my** AI and I'll run a test to find out if there is an algorithm error.”

“Okay.”

“And about yesterday.”

“Oh god, seriously,” the girl put her hands to her face. “That was something I never imagined would happen.”

“I'd be lying if I told you that I'm interested in your business with that guy.”

“Harry Sanders.”

“You see it, boring.”

“Maybe he is dead!”

“Don't be dramatic Lewis.”

“So…”

“So we’ll leave it to the police. What interests me is what you found in that place. Dr. Simmons and Dr. Banner are analyzing it. We’ll see if we have a problem on our hands.”

Darcy exhaled.

“One question: Am I fired?”

“No.” Stark shrugged.

“Thank you,” Darcy muttered.

“One last thing. I want the list that Barnes gave you.”

_The hell._

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s personal. And I won't give it to you even if you throw me out on the street.”

Stark looked at her for a long time as if he was analyzing her with his intelligent dark eyes.

“You are a tough player, Darcy Lewis.”

“I'm actually pissing on myself. Please have mercy.”

“When you live hundreds of lives and die hundreds of deaths, the only thing left is mercy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He totally entered through the window.


	8. Girl Power

Saturday. Darcy liked Saturdays. She usually slept late and had bacon and eggs for breakfast (her grandmother's special recipe). Lunch ranged from baked pork or cheesecake and salad. If she was in the mood, she would make a sachertorte for dessert. And the nights were for tequila with cheese and mushroom brochettes.

That night, Darcy planned to get very drunk, but for now the first step was to get out of bed. She went to the bathroom to pee and then brushed her teeth. Someone rang the bell of her apartment. She washed her face and went to answer the door.

Her home in the tower was cozy, not too big for one person. She liked her old London apartment better, but was unwilling to share her ideas about architecture with Stark. She wasn't so sure that he would approve of the duckling yellow she had used to paint the wall, instead of the original apple green.

Only three people visited her. One was Sam, but he was on a mission with his future fiancé. Another was Thor, and Thor rarely came without Jane. The last one was Jane herself, who incredibly found time among her multiple scientific projects to spend time with Darcy.

Her friend was there, with an ugly frown and her classic tight lips. The woman was upset and Darcy must face the consequences.

“Nice design.”

Darcy looked at her oversized T-shirt of Ant-man. She had bought it on Black Friday, two for the price of one. She had not pajama pants, only very worn shorts. The nights were very comfortable with her favorite Avenger, after Thor Odinson, of course.

“How you dare! I called hundreds of times and you didn’t pick the phone!” Jane went inside, plain outrageous painted in her features.

“Well, I totally can explain…”

“I was so worried,” the woman jumped and hugged her tightly.

Darcy felt surprised and warmed with the gesture.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Janey,” she muttered.

“Why?”

“I failed to get your stuff.”

“I don’t care about that! I’m happy that you are fine. We can see about my equipment later. But you faced danger yesterday and…”

“I was not in danger.”

“Thor told me the details.”

“What the hell Thor knows?”

“Barnes. The police. Your friend.” Jane clapped her on the shoulder. “You didn’t tell me anything. I’m like _your sister_ … I almost died of worry.”

“Barnes is such a sneak.”

“FRIDAY told us. She registered the 911 call. Obviously Thor talked with Barnes about what happened.”

“Great. All the Avengers are aware that I screwed up.”

“But are you really okay?”

Darcy shook her head. She wanted to cry but held back the tears. “There where blood in the floor.”

“Oh.”

“Stark don’t give a fuck and I don’t know what to do. Oh, dammit Jane… his poor wife.”

“I’ll make you tea and we’ll speak. And I want to know every aspect of this. I'm your best friend Darce, I want to help you, okay?”

* * *

Jane convinced Darcy to go out and clear her mind, walk through Manhattan and then eat Chinese food at lunch. That broke her routine, but for once she was happy about it. The only person who could make her take a walk was Janey.

 _Austen would be proud of us_ , Darcy mused, _going on foot in the Uber era._

It didn't escape her that her mother was a _Pride and Prejudice_ fan, who had chosen THAT name for her child, in addition to her best friend being ironically a Jane. Strange things could happen in the world.

She liked many things about New York. One of them was the food, of course, another was the landscape of the city. Things tourists liked, Darcy supposed, the big buildings, the aesthetics of the streets, the shops, and the gray concrete merging with small green spaces. She didn’t imagine herself living in New York forever, she couldn't imagine going back to New Mexico either. She felt so much different to return to her old life. When she was a child she imagined herself traveling around the world and that mere thought made her very happy. Maybe in the future she could fly to London again, maybe visit Europe at ease.

They stopped in front of a store window. The mannequins wore evening dresses. A long blue dress particularly caught Darcy's eye. Jane seemed drawn to a pink sequined gown. Who would have guessed? They walked down Broadway until they reached 171st Street. There was a fantastic Chinese restaurant.

Jane ordered Chongquing chicken wings (hot and spicy). Darcy preferred lobster with coconut fried rice.

“It turns out,” her friend said very excited, “that in addition to the black hole interior region that particles enter when they fall through the event horizon from the outside, there must be a separate white hole interior region that allows us to extrapolate the trajectories…”

The place was not very busy at that time. A couple chatted animatedly near them and the waitress was taking the order to a family with children. A pleasant melody sounded in the background.

“We have already analyzed the formation of a bridge between two points in space time, but we have not managed to build and analyze a bridge between two points in time alone. That's what I ...”

“What is an event horizon?” Darcy interrupted Jane.

“It’s the largest comoving distance from which light emitted now can ever reach the observer in the future.”

“Okay, you lost me. I don’t even know what you are saying. Einstein–Rosen bridges will always be elusive for me.”

“Fine, I shut up now, tell me something new about you.”

“We talked a lot in my apartment.”

“Tell me something that has nothing to do with work.”

“I think I'm going to start a course on macrame.” Darcy replied filling her mouth with rice. Then she remembered something that seemed important.” And a week ago I bought a new nail polish.” And it wasn't.

“Interesting. You have to go out more.”

“Hey, now I'm with you, outside.”

“You need to meet new people.”

“I know the right number of people. I don't need anyone else for now. And who are you? Where did you leave my antisocial friend?” Darcy feigned alarm. “Oh. You're breaking up with me? Do you want time? Do you want us to meet other people?”

Jane laughed.

“Take this seriously.”

“I have other friends, you know. And I don't want a relationship right now. I'm fine.”

"I'm not telling you to hit the first boy you meet, but maybe you should date again, after Ian ...”

“Ian has nothing to do with my lack of social life,” Darcy said defensibly.

“I'm not good for wild nights, but Silvya, from the Accounting’s department, invited me to her birthday party. You can join me. Perhaps it’s what we need.”

“A party?”

“Hang out with other women.”

“Girl power?”

“Sorority.”

That took her for surprise.

“Okay, I am going to accompany you, but I promise you nothing.”

* * *

Her phone began to ring the moment Darcy stepped into the elevator.

“Hi, Lucy. What happened to your aunt? Oh, don't worry, don't come on Monday. Yes, I’m going to check that file. Dr. McCoy wants a microscope, of course, that is easy. Dr. Cho requires a… hell, I don’t know how spell that. Send me an email. What? The appointment changed for the afternoon, I will remember. Easy my dear, I got it. See you when she gets better. Bye.”

Lucy was a workaholic. Nice thing when Darcy needed her amazing skills. But not on weekend. That was a deal with Pepper. Her weekends were sacred. She only broke the rule for Jane in occasions. Now she broke her rule for a different person, but technically this was no work but a favor.

Darcy took the corridor toward the wakandian section. He said that he’ll be there in the afternoon.

She knocked on the white door with the inscription in another language.

“Come in!” Answered a feminine voice.

Darcy opened the door. The room was pristine white too. There was a scientist, very young. She had a lab coat and protective glasses. She probably was Princess Shuri. Sargent Barnes was in a medical chair. He was wearing sweatpants and a black T-shirt, bare feet. A delicate stubble covered his face.

“Hi there.” Darcy greeted.

He looked at her and smiled.

“Hi, welcome to my laboratory.” Said the young scientist. “If you are the woman who managed to get Bucky out of the tower, I'm impressed.”

Barnes blushed.

“When you said it out loud it sounds like I’m a hermit.”

“You only leave here for your missions. Technically you are a hermit.”

“Miss Lewis, Shuri. Shuri, Miss Lewis.” The man introduced them.

“Call me Darcy.” She shook hands with her.

“A pleasure, for sure.”

Then Princess Shuri approached Barnes, specifically approached his arm, and with skillful hands dismounted it on the shoulder.

"Oh, this is very heavy."

"I help you," Darcy said. They both took the metal arm and placed it on a table.

“I'm going to rewire its sense of touch and the fine motor skills.” Shuri took a small silver cylinder and started working. The arm moved on its own, a couple of little spasms.

“That is weird.” Darcy said.

“Tell me about that.” Barnes smiled.

“Do you feel the loss of it?”

Barnes shrugged.

“I’ll be dang if I'm not used yet.”

Darcy took one last look at the arm on the table and then passed a box to Barnes.

“I have something for you.”

“Oh.”

“This is your second item in the list.”

“Yeah?”

Barnes opened it with one hand and found a chain with military plates.

“The hell… this…how?” He seemed surprised.

“Well, FRIDAY helped me again. Before Stark changed her settings luckily. Strictly this is a copy. All was in your file. Don’t tell the boss. We used the exact composition of metallic elements that was in the archives.” Howard Stark had apparently given the Howling Commandos special badges. Maybe that's why Tony had been interested in the list. But that was not in Darcy's interest.

On Barnes's lap was an open book. She recognized the cover.

“I can?”

He gave her the book

“ _The Particle Problem in the General Theory of Relativity_ ,” she read the title. “Geez. You and Jane will get alone very well.”

“Thor says the same, sometimes.”

Darcy handed the book back to him and put her hands in her pockets. They looked at each other for a long time until Shuri broke the silence with a discreet throat clearing.

“Thanks, Miss Lewis.” Barnes said with another of his bright smiles.

“You can call me Darcy too, if you want.”


	9. Dogs and cats.

Bucky woke up that Tuesday with a headache. He had nightmares, something that had not happened for a long time. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower. Then he made himself a protein shake for breakfast, while checking the news on his tablet.

When Tony agreed that Bucky would be part of the Avengers, he moved to the tower with Wilson and Steve. Although it was nice to live with the punk again (and tolerable living with Sam), it was not like the old days. Bucky decided he wanted a place of his own.

His apartment was one floor above Steve's. It was large, with a modern, industrial design. Hardly the place had some furniture. Between missions, strategic plans and training Bucky did not have much time to decorate or buy more furniture. Although, he was very proud of the collection of books that were scattered all over the place. He had learned how to shop at an online bookstore. That was fun. Maybe with the other stuff he needed, Miss Lewis could help.

When things got tough, Bucky liked to put some thoughts on paper, so he wrote. He had several notebooks in the curse of the years. The last one was a gift from Steve that had maroon leather caps. He enjoyed the sound of the pen scratching the paper and the smell of the sheets.

Sometimes he bantered with Sam, sometimes they talked. The possibility of Bucky needing therapy was always discussed. He knew that Wilson was trying to mean well, but he didn't feel ready.

Bucky had to admit that he often felt lonely. People surrounded him, but something was missing. He felt a longing that he couldn't name.

_Maybe I should adopt a cat after all._

* * *

On the way to Maria Hill's office, Bucky's phone rang and he answered. It was the police to inform him that the boy he had caught in that warehouse had disappeared. Someone had paid his bail, and when they asked about him a few days later, he was no longer in New York.

“Thank you Detective Perez.”

Bucky had a bad feeling. Maybe the boy was in serious trouble.

“You have a face. What happened?” Maria said to him, when he came to her office.

“Nothing important, a matter that I should check later.”

Bucky sat down at her desk and they started to work. The new plan they were developing had the objective of dismantling one of the HYDRA cells that was still active. It was in Eastern Europe. The new SHIELD had moles within the dark group, which had reported an increase in activity in the past few months. Some spies had been recruited from the start, others were agents who wanted to be exfiltrated in exchange for valuable information.

It was quite dangerous, but many were hoping to escape the clutches of HYDRA.

“We have located three bases in Serbia, Romania and Moldova,” Maria informed him.

“Do we have an operation post in any of these countries?” Bucky asked.

“Our surveillance post in Eastern Europe is in Slovakia. Although we have some safe houses in several countries, we have never deployed such a large operation in the area, and I don’t know if we have enough staff and resources.”

“I know some people in Transia, maybe I can contact them. When Sam and Steve come back?”

“It’s undetermined, depends on the Russian forces.”

“If we rush this a little bit, maybe they can join us.”

Maria looked dissatisfied.

“I don't know, it makes me nervous to rush the plan. I want everything to fit together.”

“Believe me, I more than anyone want this to turn out well.”

The Avengers were not exactly welcome in that part of Europe, the reactions after what happened in Sokovia were more than evident. However, Bucky was hopeful of finding enough allies to fight HYDRA. And maybe get some good plums, by the way.

* * *

“FRIDAY?”

Darcy came out of the elevator looking at the ceiling, there was the AI in her imagination.

“Hi, Miss Lewis.”

“I can ask you sometime?”

“I’m sorry Miss Lewis, the master reprogramed my functions.”

“How?”

“Just to give you practical information. And this information cannot be classified.”

“What type of information can you give me?”

“Directions and curiosities of world history.”

“Like an encyclopedia?”

“Yes, like that.”

“FRIDAY, that man is cruel.” Darcy straightened her new glasses over her nose.

“The master is wise.”

“FRIDAY, you would never say that. What did he do to you? I'm going to talk to him seriously.”

But Darcy was coming to something else. She had to verify the equipment that had recently arrived at Dr. Banner's laboratory. She knocked on the door and entered, finding the scientist there. And his boss. What a coincidence.

“Hi there.”

“Hi Darcy. How are you?” Greeted Dr. Banner.

“Oh, Lewis. How good the eyes that see you.” Stark spoke to her with a mischievous smile. “Have you already talked to FRIDAY?”

“Yes, and the poor thing seems to have undergone a lobotomy.”

“Don’t exaggerate. I made a few improvements to it.”

“Improvements? You are the villain in this story.”

“Each villain is the hero of his own story, or so I have been told.”

Dr. Banner slapped his palms together, hard.

“How can I help you, Darcy?”

“I came to see the refrigerated microcentrifuge.”

“That works very well, although the RT-PCR is giving problems.”

Darcy wrote on her tablet. Stark was staring at her intently.

“I'm going to call the technical maintenance team,” she said, without taking her eyes off the screen.

“What are you wearing?” Stark asked.

Darcy didn’t wake up energetic that day, so to get up her spirit she chose a bright yellow yarn sweater, leggings with little Tweety drawings in it, and her favorite cowboy boots.

“Clothes, why.” She gave him a murderous look.

“Oh, Miss Sunshine is funny.”

“Do you have a problem with my style?”

“Are there dress codes in your contract?”

“I don't think so.”

“I'm going to speak to Pepper.”

“At the job interview I went with a 2 broke girls shirt and overalls. Oh, and a cap knitted by my grandmother.”

“Thanks for coming,” Banner interrupted again.

“I just want you to have the best.”

“I pay for that.” Stark added.

“Now if you're done bullying me, dear boss, excuse me.”

An explosion was heard in one of the labs and a purple cloud flooded the hallway. The three ducked, covering they ears.

“Where is that?”

It is in the virology department. They were working with gas pumps.

Banner and Stark went to help get people out of the place. They didn't know if the gas was harmless, but Stark had his suit, and Banner his Great Green Friend, and they were both heroes after all. So they did their thing and Darcy waited for the mist to dissipate.

“Hey, FRIDAY, I feel like eating. What do you recommend me?”

“Boiled eggs and salad.”

The answer surprised her.

“Hell, Stark really screwed this up.”

* * *

After breakfast Bucky went to the training room. That day he had a session with Clint. Usually the Avengers had a strict training schedule. They had one day off a week, which varied depending on the missions. If nothing extraordinary happened during the week, Bucky could have free time the last hours of the afternoon.

They played tactical training in the beginning and hand-to-hand combat in the end.

“Take it easy, I’m not a supersoldier, man.” Clint gave him a right hook, and Bucky dodged it. Then he advanced toward the archer with his right arm outstretched and the man blocked him. Bucky kicked him in the legs, Clint drew back and took some momentum to advance and knock him down. They both fell on the floor.

“And you want me to take it easy?” Bucky laughed. The two were scattered, catching their breath

“What can I say? I am a bad loser.” Clint replied.

They were silent for a moment and then Bucky added:

“She taught you that move, right.”

“Yeah.” Clint understood who he was referring to.

“I miss her.”

“We all miss her too, man.”

* * *

As he left the training room, Bucky found a black cat walking.

“Hey kitty. What are you doing out there?”

He checked the medallion hanging from her neck.

"Mew-mew, huh?"

Behind it said: ‘Give back to Darcy Lewis.’

So he did. Bucky found Darcy in a hallway on one of the laboratory floors.

She had an oxygen mask and seemed very happy talking to herself. She looked cute. The yellow of her sweater was somewhat disturbing, however.

“Hey.”

“Hello Sergeant! Oh, you found my cat!”

“I think she found me.”

“Isn't she adorable?”

“Yes, she is.” Bucky handed her the cat and Darcy took her lovingly, hugged and kissed her.

“Are you a pet person?”

“I don’t know.”

“Didn't you have pets when you were a child? Oh sorry, that was rude.”

“Don’t worry. Yes, I had a couple of dogs.”

“Don't you like cats?”

“I don’t know. I should have one to know it.”

“Quite so! If you want we can go find a cat for you.”

“I do not...”

“Doesn't that seem like a good idea, Mew-mew? You will have a neighbor!”

“I didn't ... Bucky repeated again. Do you think this is a good idea?”

“Why not? You will have a hairball waiting for you after each mission.”

“Hmmmmm.”

“Are you in?”

Bucky felt insecure, but replied anyway:

“Good. Let's do it, it can't be that bad.”


End file.
